The Offspring
by Lightningfall
Summary: Jennifer Banner was adopted by Bruce after Loki ravaged Earth. But, Bruce is keeping a secret, and it seems the other Avengers are in on it too. Jennifer must find out, before another war threatens to destroy everything they have left. Rated T for language and suggestive scenes
1. Prologue

**(Just to clear things up, I own not the Avengers... yet xD Loki shall be mine! Just kidding. I seriously own nothing but Jen and her wonderful personality. And maybe another OC that may pop up in a while :D)**

**The Offspring: Prologue**

Dr. Bruce Banner stalked around the small home that Tony Stark had somehow convinced him to stay in. He crossed his arms and gritted his teeth, growling. It had been a year since Loki had come, since he had come and ravaged Earth. Nearly a year since Bruce lost control. He dug his fingernails into his arms, leaving white crescent-shaped marks. He walked into his bedroom, one foot on front of the other, taking careful, calculated steps.

He shut his door in forced calmness and sat on the bed as memories flooded his mind. He clenched his fists and fought against the Other Guy. Keeping his anger bottled up proved not to be the best idea. The scientist shut his ice blue eyes tightly, trying to fight it... but to no avail.

His skin rippled, muscles bulging, bones cracking. Glowing green eyes snapped open as Bruce transformed. No... Not Bruce. The Hulk had come out to play. The doctor's shirt was ripped to shreds, his blue jeans ripped off just below the knee.

A soft knock at the door had the Hulk in a fit, kicking the door open and smashing through the open doorway. A tall, young girl stood at the remains of the door, her dark blue eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. Without a second thought, she had her cell phone out, running after the not-so-jolly green giant.

She punched a few numbers into her phone, the number of a certain Tony Stark, to be precise. The device rang... and rang... and rang again. Still, the girl followed the trail of destruction that Hulk had set. Finally, the genius billionaire picked up his phone. The girl didn't need to say a word. Tony already knew.

"On my way." was all that was said. The girl ended the call and slipped the phone into her pocket. She stopped and waited for Tony to come get her, she knew he would.

Sure enough, Stark, in full armour, dropped out of the sky next to the sixteen-year-old female. He gestured for her to climb on his back and hold on. She complied, wrapping her arms around his neck and clamping her legs to his sides. Tony took off again, the black-haired girl clinging to his back like a human parasite as they flew through the streets just outside of New York.

They came upon the Hulk tearing apart a house in the suburbs. Stark landed about a hundred yards away from the large angry green guy and the girl jumped off his back. Tony frowned as she began walking towards the panting form of the Hulk. He walked to her and grabbed her arm, shaking his head. She growled and twisted her arm, attempting to free herself from Iron Man's iron grip.

Meanwhile, the Hulk had heard their small scuffle. He lifted his gaze and saw Tony and the girl. The green man with anger issues and incredible strength fixed his glowing eyes on the duo. Tony noticed it first. He pulled the girl into death grip hug and blasted about twenty feet in the air. The glowing green eyes fixed on the suited metal man and the Hulk growled loudly and deeply, baring his teeth.

"Leave girl ALONE!" Hulk's guttural voice sounded. Tony simply pulled the girl closer, causing Hulk to growl louder. The girl struggled in Tony's grip and he gripped her tighter. Hulk snarled and the girl managed to twist free of Tony's vice-like grip, squeaking as she realized her error in height judgement.

Hulk leaped over and caught her as she began to fall. Bruce was managing to regain his lost control. Black, wavy, shoulder-length hair flew behind them as they fell through the air and the girl clung to Hulk's hand and arm for dear life.

They smashed to the ground and Bruce lost his control once again. Hulk stood, the girl still in his hands, and roared at nothing in particular. Tony was zipping around them, hollering at the angry giant. Amazingly, the girl remained calm. She looked up at Hulk as he roared in her face. Her voice managed to reach his ears even through the noise.

"Ew... Dad... you really need to brush your teeth or get a mint or something." Hulk heard, ceased his loud roaring immediately, and frowned down at the girl. Suddenly, he began to calm. Bruce gained control and shrank back to human size, his bones popping and his skin returning to its normal tan. Tony shot off to get Bruce some clothes while the girl covered her father with her jacket.

"Dad, you gonna be okay?" She asked, laying a gentle hand on Bruce's forehead. H looked up at her, his blue eyes shining with a film of tears.

"Jennifer... I could have killed you. Do you realize that?" Bruce asked, seeming to deflate into himself. The girl, Jennifer, sighed and hugged her Dad.

"Yes, Dad, I know. But the main thing is, you didn't, and you still need to figure out a different way of releasing your anger and frustration OTHER than becoming all giant and green and destructive." Bruce hugged his daughter back and sighed softly.

Just then, Tony flew back. He dropped to the ground and passed some clothes to Bruce, who turned and went back to the rubble to get dressed. Tony turned to Jennifer.

"Good job, kid. Now just figure out a way to keep his clothes on him when he changes, right?" Tony clapped a hand on Jennifer's shoulder and chuckled. She raised an eyebrow and brushed his hand away.

"I must help get my father back home. You go ahead and figure that out. Now, if you'll excuse me." The sixteen year old stated coolly, walking away to find her father. Tony was left with Jarvis for company. He scowled and blasted away, grumbling to his computer/butler.

"Sir, I believe Jennifer just brushed you off."

"Shut your virtual face, Jarvis."

Meanwhile, Jennifer had found her father. She brushed a hand across his back and sighed heavily. He turned, started, then calmed, putting on a forced smile as Jennifer took his hand. They began to walk back in the direction of their house. Whenever Jennifer put her right foot to the ground, her knee gave a bit, causing her to limp.

"Is that limp new, Jen?" Bruce asked. Jennifer looked over at the sound of his voice and shook her head no, indicating that it had been there for a little while.

"Jennifer Jade Banner, if that limp was there before, I would have noticed it. Now tell me, did I hurt you?" Bruce said sternly, worried about his daughter. She sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"No, Dad. I hurt myself when I tried to kick Tony between the legs to get him to let go of me. Damn metal suit..." She muttered. Bruce sighed, relieved, as they came upon their home. Jennifer opened the door and locked it behind them as Bruce entered.

"Hey Dad, don't we have a training session at seven tonight? Also, what do you want for dinner?" Jen called as Bruce went to go get a shower.

"Yeah, a twenty four hour period of survival. Bring your bow. And perhaps your world-famous chicken gnocchi would be good." He called back.

"World famous? Hardly." Jen laughed, bringing a small smile and chuckle out of Bruce. Jennifer let out a small smile of her own and turned to the kitchen to cook.

AND THUS BEGAN THE CHAOS


	2. Chapter 1

**The Offspring: Chapter One**

Jennifer grumbled as she examined her arrow quiver. Something was off.

"Dad! Did you mess with my quiver? Some of the screws are loose and I didn't do it." She called to her father. He walked into the room, bleary-eyed.

"Jenn… It's six in the morning… Why in the hell are you awake?" He asked in a tired voice, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh, very good acting Dad. You know you were up at five thirty," was Jennifer's response. Bruce smiled, the tired expression and gait disappearing as he walked to his daughter.

"Hey, I did well that time! And no, I did not touch your quiver. Maybe it's just time for a re-designing of it?" He asked, hugging his daughter, who sighed softly and nodded. She poked him in the chest before laughing and turning to her powerful computer and tablet, complete with 3-D holographic display (compliments of Tony Stark). She stretched and sat down at the computer, opening a file titled "Spitfire V. 5.7.0". Bruce smiled and played with her hair, noticing that the blonde dye was fading.

"Jenni, your hair dye is fading." He pointed out.

"I know. I've gotten tired of being blonde- too many stereotypes. Besides, my natural hair color will better help my-" She paused and spun around, striking a pose. "_NINJAH SKILLZ!_" She broke into laughter with Bruce, who hit her in the shoulder softly. Somehow, around his daughter, he was the most relaxed he'd been since the… 'No, don't go there, Banner…' He thought to himself as the memories came flooding back.

~!~FLASHBACK~!~

_There she was, a screaming child with crazy blue eyes. It was successful, she was his. He smiled and picked her up, holding her to his chest. _'My darling child… my lovely Jennifer Jade…'_ He thought as he looked at her, her hand finding its grip on his extended finger._

_He sat down, three in the morning, to feed the baby. Already, after eight months, she was displaying signs of extreme intelligence. He smiled as she held the bottle in her small, slender hands and drank greedily, looking up at him with those deep, saturated-blue eyes._

_Three year old Jennifer looked up at her father, pointing to a small lollipop. _"May I, Daddy?" _What could he do but say yes? She squealed and hugged him tight around the legs as he picked up the candy and bought it, handing it to her. _"I love you Daddy!"_ The words, simple as they were, brought tears to his eyes._

_Jennifer rolled her eyes at the other exhibits; the seven year-old fifth-grader scoffing at the simple science experiments. Half of them didn't know that two hydrogen atoms and an oxygen atom made water. Heck, half of them didn't know what an atom was. She looked down proudly at the two blue ribbons pinned to her chest. Her molecular structure exhibit had won in both categories. She ran to her father and hugged him as he picked her up and whispered into her ear those magic words… _"I love you Jenni."

_He sighed, holding a picture of her in his hands. The school wasn't right for her, she was blowing through her exams like there was no tomorrow. He closed his eyes, a single tear slipping from them. Jennifer came in, at eleven years old, she was already a freshman in high school, and the other students were teasing her because of her age. Bruce hastily wiped the tear away and set the picture down, opening his arms to her. She sat on his lap and hugged him, whispering to him, _"It's gonna be okay Daddy…" _What could he do but cry?_

_Thirteen year old Jennifer looked up at Tony, eyes wide with understanding as he lectured on the compounds of different substances. Bruce sat in the back, shoulders relaxed as he finally realized that this was where Jennifer was supposed to be. Tony asked her a question, quizzing her on the compounds of iridium and titanium, and she raised her hand. Tony laughed and told her to put it down, she was the only student, after all! Jennifer shrank down in her seat, embarrassed, and Tony asked her the question again. She spoke up and answered correctly, surprising Tony as he nodded and continued on._

_Steve was watching Jennifer spar with a punching bag, at fifteen years old, she was strong. She eventually gave it a hard kick; breaking the rusty chain and watching it fall down. Bruce grinned; she was more than he had ever wanted in a child. But it saddened him that she was not completely his…_

~!~END FLASHBACK~!~

"DAD!" A voice snapped him out of his memories, and he shook his head violently. Jennifer was standing over him, snapping her fingers in his face.

"Wha- what?" He asked, dazed.

"You got this far-away look on your face, and then you fell over, kinda, onto the bed… Are you okay?" Jennifer asked, offering a hand to help him up. He took it and nodded, smiling reassuringly.

"I am fine, go back to finishing your work. Honestly, I will be fine." He said and lightly pushed her back into her chair. She threw him a doubtful glance but returned to her work, making a few color changes and e-mailing the files to Tony with a request for it to be built and a promise of compensation for work and costs. Within ten minutes she got a response with a figure and a time of completion. She nodded and grabbed her bow, stringing it and taking her old quiver and arrows into the living room. Bruce looked at her, a questioning look on his face.

"Hey, Dad? Is it okay if I go down to the range at Tony's for target practice?" She asked him with a small smile. He smiled back and nodded, knowing that she only asked out of respect. She knew he would let her go. She hugged him and grabbed her jet-black hoversuit, Tony had given it to her for her own enjoyment. They were powered by a small Arc reactor that attached by wires under mild armor up her arms and the back of her legs. The reactor itself was mounted on a plate on her back, and she donned it like a backpack, the wires and armor attaching to her body automatically and reinforcing themselves. Bruce smiled again and the teenager hovered out the door with a "thank you Dad!"

Jennifer accelerated her hoversuit, soon flying like Tony would. She was lower to the ground, however, and could not go as fast. That would require a full suit, which she did not want. Her bow and arrows slung over her back in their cases, she flew towards Stark Tower.

Tony was not expecting visitors, as he was in a muscle shirt and Dockers, supervising the construction of Jennifer's Spitfire quiver. He heard the familiar whine of Jennifer's partial suit and the quiet ring of metal boots hitting the ground. He turned and saw her, blonde hair slightly tangled from the wind.

"You know, it's not nice, dropping in unexpected." Tony said sarcastically, one eyebrow raised. Jennifer threw him a look.

"Go check your phone, there will be a message from me that alerts you to my arrival. I sent it before I left."

"Fifty bucks says you're wrong."

"You're on. And it will be sent exactly ten minutes ago." Jennifer said smugly.

"Ha! I got no… or maybe I did get a message from you…" Tony said disbelievingly. Jennifer smirked and walked over to him.

"Pay up, Tony. I won, fair and square." She smirked

"I don't believe this. _Jarvis!_ Why didn't you alert me as to this message?" Tony asked as he pressed two twenty-dollar bills and a ten-dollar bill into Jennifer's hand. If there was one thing he wouldn't do, it was cheat Jennifer.

"Sir, you instructed me not to alert you as to her messages. And may I add that you also said-"

"MUTE"

"You hiding something, old man?" Jennifer laughed.

"No." Tony glared, turning back to his work and motioning Jennifer over.

"Look good?" He asked.

"Of course. I would trust no one but you with these projects, darling."

"Will you stop calling me darling? It makes me sound like I'm dating you, and that makes me sound like a pedophile." Tony growled.

"Oh, but _darling_, I only do it to piss you off! And it appears that it is working."

"Shut up."

"Make me."

"Don't make me go there, Jennifer"

"I'm not making you do anything." At this, Tony turned to her.

"You wanna GO?"

"Yeah! Right here, right now!"

"Fine!" Tony fought to keep a smile off his face. Jennifer pushed his chest and chuckled, turning to the Spitfire-in-progress again, only to be picked up and carried to the sparring room. She growled and struggled half-heartedly, chuckling intermittently as he set her down. She turned to see Tony in a similar hoversuit, and he donned a chest-protector as Jennifer picked one up. She donned it and took a stance. Tony grinned and matched it; Jennifer was the only girl that he would spar, even with Natasha being on the team. Jennifer, at least, wouldn't break his nose… on purpose. He cringed.

Tony concentrated on Jennifer's movements. She had her shoulders relaxed, legs and feet in a slightly defensive pose, whereas Tony was in full battle posture. He, naturally, struck first. He hurled a punch to her stomach, only to have her jump backwards, grab his wrist, and hurl him past her, using both arms to push/pull him, one on his wrist, the other on his back, so as to not pull his wrist out from the force of her strength. She felt him resisting, but it was a matter of balance. Tony's weight wasn't steadily planted like Jennifer's was, and he stumbled forward, catching himself while whirling around, only to receive a punch to the chest, the strength of it muted by his chestpiece. He retaliated, landing an open-handed hit to the side of her face and neck, and she growled. She kicked him back, hair flying as she took a running leap, high enough to land a solid foot to his shoulder, followed by a hand to his face, although not strong enough to leave any lasting damage. She landed hard, grunting as her feet stung from the force, and then as well as her back, as she was thrown backwards by a kick from Tony, and he landed on her, pinning her arms and legs in a threatening stance. She rolled her eyes and huffed in his face.

"Fine… you win, this time. Let me up. Next time get ready for me to beat your ass down…" She growled, trying to keep her composure, but ended up laughing along with Tony. He grinned and got up, brushing himself off as Jennifer took her chestpiece off and hurled it at him, the lightweight metal covered with foam hitting him in the head before falling to the floor. He whirled to see her grinning, hovering in the air in her re-engaged hoversuit. Tony grinned and spoke.

"Anyone up for flight tag outside?" Jennifer cackled and lay her bow and arrow cases down, frowning as she realized something.

"How? My suit won't go as fast as yours." She inquired. Tony blushed slightly, looking to the side.

"It was going to be a birthday present… but here. I made you something…" He snapped at Jarvis, and a case unveiled itself, revealing a full suit, also jet-black, complete with an interface for Jarvis. Jennifer's jaw dropped.

"But… but… but Tony! Are you sure? I mean, your suit is unique, and and and…" She stuttered. Tony held up a hand.

"I know you never wanted a full suit. But listen. How will you be able to keep up with me whenever we want to go play an air game? Plus, it might come in handy if you ever need to get somewhere fast, and lots more." Tony explained.

"I was also bored." He added with a smirk. Jennifer stared at him, disengaging her hoversuit, before running to him, hugging him so tight he could feel his ribs groan. The Iron Man chuckled, slightly embarrassed, and pushed her off, opening the case and motioning her to it.

Jennifer took off her partial suit and walked over to the waiting one, stepping into it and watching as it reassembled itself, then flicking on the display. It ran a diagnostics, and came up clean. Airlock was secure, filter was clean, power source was full, repulsors were at full capacity- wait. Repulsors? Jennifer tilted her head, but decided not to ask. Tony had disappeared, and she hovered, delighted to discover that the controls were the same as her partial, just with more added features. She slowly moved out of the case into the open, grinning. Tony returned in his own suit, picking up Jennifer's things and placing them into the now-empty case. His voice rang over her comm. channel.

"They'll be safe here." She nodded and they hovered out of the building, taking it slowly for Jennifer to get accustomed to a full suit. Once they were in the open, many people looked up and started, why were there two Iron Mans, and why was one of them all-black? Jennifer looked to Tony, who began explaining the speeds and workings of her suit. It was complicated, but Jennifer, being Jennifer, understood it. They agreed to a few practice flights, and Tony flew off. The people below continued staring, and Jennifer took notice. She grinned and flew after Tony, accelerating far beyond the speed her partial could achieve. She caught up to Tony and hit his side, speaking through her comm. link.

"You're it, old man!" She said, marking a course and taking it as Tony laughed and followed her. She accelerated and asked him a question.

"Does this thing break the sound barrier?"

"Oh yes. It has all the capabilities of mine. I trust you won't re-create it." At this, Jennifer laughed heartily.

"I don't even build my own quivers, do you think I would build a suit?"

"This is true."

Jennifer checked her heads-up display, noticing that Tony was right behind her. She grinned and pushed the suit faster, a cone building around her in the empty airspace as she reached Mach One speed. A sound boom occurred, and Tony's followed not five seconds after. He reached her and slapped her leg, calling her. She grinned and they slowed down, Tony turning sharply. They decelerated enough to fly between the buildings in New York, causing a lot of spilled coffee and broken computers. Tony took another sharp turn between two buildings and Jennifer cursed herself for falling for the old trick and clocked him on her radar, plotting a self-correcting course through Jarvis to intercept him. He was flying to the Empire State, and she reached it the same time as he did. They played a game of chase around the tower before Jennifer spun and met him head on. As they were flying slowly and vertically, she was able to engulf him in a hug-grip. He realized this and cut his hand thrusters, smiling behind his mask. They hugged for a brief while, almost like father and daughter. Jennifer let go first, and they flew back to Stark Tower.

A video feed popped up in the corner of Jennifer's mask, Tony's face filling it. She activated her own feed and they spoke.

"So, how are things at home?" Tony asked.

"They're good. Dad agreed to let me help if he gets angry again, I can try and calm him before he turns all green and destructive." Jennifer chuckled, checking her heads up. They were about five minutes away, she decided to slow down. She enjoyed her conversations with Tony.

"Ah. That sounds good. We don't have to pay for any more homes, now do we?" Tony asked. His fac had changed slightly since she had referred to Bruce as "Dad", Jennifer almost asked him about it. She decided against it and nodded.

"Yeah, lets not make S.H.I.E.L.D. any angrier." She returned with a chuckle. Fury had been on edge since the battle against Loki, although Jennifer had not been there, she was assured it was secure again. She then returned from her friend's house in California after spending a week over there. Elaina was a great friend, it was a shame that she could know nothing of Jennifer's own life, who she was, what she did, who she was best friends with… When Jennifer had explained that she lived and worked in a top-secret facility (only half of a lie), Elaina had said she understood, but that did not keep her from questioning many things about Jennifer's personal life. A beep shook her out of her thoughts, Tony had sent her a tone to alert her to his speaking. He waited expectantly, his eyebrows raised.

"I'm sorry, what?" Jennifer asked.

"I asked you, do you think your dad will let you stay here at Stark Tower for the night? I'd like your input on a few things; and the house will be fine with Pepper there and Jarvis taking care of it."

"Sure, I can ask him. I'm pretty sure I did all my weekly chores back at the house yesterday, so he'll probably let me stay. Just let me call him really quick to make sure." She answered.

"Alright, that's a good idea." Tony answered, admiring the respect Jennifer had for her father and friends. She didn't like Natasha, but she was still civil to her, even though she expressed her dislike very explosively to him on occasion. He waited patiently while she talked to her father, wondering when the time would come to tell her the truth behind her lineage. He blew a sigh and hoped that it would go over well, although he knew it probably wouldn't. He looked to his video feed as Jennifer reappeared, a smile on her face.

"He said its fine, I've done all of my duties. I'll just have to stop by to pick up some clothes for the morning. Mind if I go there now, or should I change my suit?" She asked.

"Nah, go scare the hell out of him, have some fun." Tony grinned and motioned to her. She nodded and chuckled, cutting the video feed and diverting her course. Tony continued to Stark Tower while Jennifer sped home and knocked on the door.

"Just a minute!" Her father's voice rang out. He opened the door and nearly had a heart attack when he saw Jennifer standing there, mask lifted, a huge grin splitting her face.

"Jennifer! Where in Thor's name did you get that?" He blustered, motioning her in.

"Tony gave it to me. He said it was supposed to be a birthday present, but we wanted to play air tag, so there you go." She explained, walking to her room. Bruce walked with her, still mildly surprised. Tony said he was going to do this, but he hadn't realized how soon he had decided to do it. So Tony was being precautious. That was a new one.

Jennifer packed her clothes, her laptop, and her book. Bruce read the title out loud.

"Mechanics 101, your guide to everything moving. Haven't you already read that?" He asked.

"Yeah, but Tony wanted my input on some things, so I thought I'd bring it." She tucked the heavy book into her bag and set it on her bed. She walked to Bruce and embraced him.

"Thanks for letting me go, Dad. I really appreciate it."

"It's no problem. You're almost eighteen, you deserve to get out of the house more. Plus you did all of your duties, so I have no reason to say no. You already know to respect Tony and all that, so I'm not worried." He replied. Jennifer smiled and let go, picking up her bag and walking to the front door. Bruce kissed her cheek and they said their goodbyes, and Jennifer left to go to Stark Tower.

* * *

A/N:

Oh my god. An update? I'm almost afraid to show my face around here anymore :P

Hope this is good! As always, if you see any grammar/spelling mistakes, let me know. ^^ Constructive criticism is also greatly appreciated.

Holy shit o.o Jennifer has a suit nao. Where will this go? EY! TONY! Stahp hiding things from her!

So, what do you think all the suggestions about her lineage are about? Let me know in a review, I love hearing your opinions :3

If you have any plot suggestions as well, tell me!

As always, read and review please! Thanks! ~3


End file.
